Modern wireless communication devices are capable of exchanging data with wireless communication networks. This data is transferred in the form of data packets that bundle the digital data together into more manageable segments. When a data packet or set of data packets are sent from a wireless access node on a wireless communication network to a wireless device via a forward wireless link, the wireless device will transfer an acknowledgment message back to the access node via a reverse wireless link. This acknowledgment message informs the access node that the wireless device received the data packets correctly. If the access node does not receive an acknowledgment message or receives a message indicating an error in packet transmission, then the access node will resend the data packets.
In some cases, the packets may be transferred correctly but an acknowledgment message from the wireless device is not received in the access node. The non-receipt of the acknowledgment message may be due to poor conditions on the reverse wireless link. Consequently, the access node may determine that the wireless device did not receive the packets and, thereby, will retransmit the packets due to a condition of the reverse wireless link that caused the non-receipt of the acknowledgment message instead of a condition of the forward wireless link that actually sends the packets. This retransmission of the packets is unnecessary, uses network resources, and delays the transmission of further packets to the wireless device.